Career Center

The award-winning, multi-generational UW Odyssey Project is a UW-Madison program housed within the Division of Continuing Studies. Through free access to education, Odyssey takes a whole family approach to breaking cycles of generational poverty while focusing on giving adult and youth learners a voice, increasing participants' confidence in reading, writing, and speaking, and creating a supportive community for students as they continue on their educational journeys. About to begin its 22nd year, this inspirational project has empowered low-income adults to overcome adversity and achieve their dreams by getting a jump start at earning college degrees they never thought possible. Some graduates of the program have journeyed from homelessness to UW-Madison degrees, or from incarceration to meaningful work in the community. Odyssey consists of six programs serving adults and their children and grandchildren, held at the UW South Madison Partnership Space and in several correctional facilities across the state.

The Odyssey Program Coordinator will be responsible for supporting all UW Odyssey Project programming but with an emphasis in the following areas: the core Odyssey class, Onward Odyssey, Odyssey Senior, and Odyssey Beyond Wars. There will also be events throughout the year that this position will help coordinate, along with enrichment opportunities for our students and the general Madison community, including but not limited to Tuesday Morning Booktalks. This position will play an essential role within our Odyssey team and will need to be flexible, detail-oriented, a team player, and, most importantly, kind and welcoming to our students and their families.

Job Duties:
- Program coordination for all Odyssey programming

• Provide support for program directors
• Serve as primary liaison between program staff members and internal/external units related to program planning and operations (i.e. scheduling meetings, event planning, class registrations, meal processes for Odyssey programming, tech support, printing services, student records, vendors, truck services, etc.)
• Help track which students have been given laptops, bus passes, gas cards, etc.
• Maintain assignment and attendance spreadsheet for various Odyssey programs
• Maintain, manage, and organize electronic records, files, scanned homework assignments, and email lists for programs
• Manage and organize incoming Odyssey course applications
• Initiate appropriate purchases following UW-Madison policies (requisitions, purchasing cards, etc.) for materials and services related to Odyssey programming while ensuring materials and services are delivered on time and with the necessary documentation
• Coordinate development, production, and distribution of program/course materials as instructed by program directors
• Work closely with DoIT Printing and Publishing and the L&S Copy Center in ordering publications and course materials and coordinate the pick-up and delivery of materials
• Immediately prior to a program/course/event, assure space is set to the specifications of the program directors or event planners
• Oversee meal logistics for Odyssey programing, including but not limited to coordinating with food vendors, placing orders, packing up leftover food to go home with students, etc.
• Update student contact information, expenses, and personal data for Odyssey students in the alumni database

- Other activities supporting the UW Odyssey Project

• Provide general development support (event planning, creation/disbursement of surveys related to student opportunities, tracking sign-ups/attendance, etc.)
• Coordinate the preparation and printing for Odyssey yearbooks, course readers, graduation programs, weekly class handouts, etc.
• Assist with recruiting, hiring, and supervising Odyssey student hourly help

- Provide general department administrative support

• Participate in regularly scheduled program, department, and division meetings, program support staff meetings, and other special meetings as requested
• Other duties as assigned (i.e. organizing and labeling Odyssey photos, typing student work for the Oracles, etc.)

• 25% Utilizes independent judgement regarding development, implementation, promotion, and evaluation for one or more academic programs, initiatives, or events
• 30% Identifies program, needs, contributes to the development of unit workflows, schedules logistics and secures resources for meetings, events, and interviews
• 30% Coordinates program components and evaluates program effectiveness and provides recommendations for improvement
• 15% May supervise the day to day activities of one or more academic programs and resolves issues exercising discretion to meet unit goals.

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Preferred
Bachelor's Degree

Required

• Must have a valid driver's license
• Tuesday and Wednesday evening availability
• Ability to lift 30 lbs
• Strong knowledge and skills in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, etc.)
• Strong organizational and multi-tasking skills, and attention to detail
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Experience working with diverse populations and/or community groups
• Knowledge of general office/business management, skills, practices and methods
• Ability to provide technical support to students and/or to help with troubleshooting issues

Preferred

• Access to vehicle
• Experience with meeting scheduling and event planning
• Demonstrates cultural competence and ability to be friendly, calm, and encouraging in communicating with students from poverty and racial/ethnic minority backgrounds
• Ability to demonstrate flexibility and the ability to quickly adjust to changing circumstances
• Excellent problem-solving skills and independent decision-making skills. Ability to interpret rules and regulations
• Strong knowledge of Qualtrics when creating and distributing surveys
• Knowledge of simple design software (Canva, Wordpress, etc.) in order to make signs, flyers, labels, etc. as well as website updates for programs and events

Full Time: 100%

This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Ongoing/Renewable

Minimum $41,244 ANNUAL (12 months)
Depending on Qualifications

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply Now" button. You will be asked to upload a resume, cover letter, and list of three professional/supervisor references as a part of the application process. References will not be contacted without prior notice.

Zachary Yafai
zyafai@wisc.edu
608-262-3282
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Academic Program Specialist(AE010)

A93-DIVN OF CONTINUING STUDIES/LIB ART & APP ST/LAAS

Academic Staff-Renewable

305319-AS

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.